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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The journey begins - waiting at the station to take the train to Narita Airport.

Soon after finding out I was able to take some days of summer vacation off from work, I very quickly booked plane tickets and planned a last-minute week-long trip to the Bay Area, which I haven't been back to for over a year and a half. This trip was mostly to see my family. Jittery with anticipation and sleepiness, I stepped onto the train.

Inside the train from Tokyo to the airport.

At the airport. Previous times there, I had been rather rushed or focused on other purposes... but this time, I rather enjoyed the short time at Narita Airport before taking off. I completely savored the feeling of departing on a journey to a destination thousands of miles away.

After a nine hour flight, I arrived all too quickly,

and it was as though I had been transported back in time.

First, there was a lovely trip to the Monterey area.

We witnessed an amazing sunset on the ocean.

I breathed in the cool, salty sea air and heard myself sigh in tranquility.

The skies darkened slowly, leaving only points of light along the water, and inky darkness near the beach. My fingertips froze a bit in the night wind.

We discovered a small, old-fashioned town a bit inland the next day.

Small, colorful surprises lay hidden all around us , just waiting to be discovered.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Have you ever had the feeling that you really wanted to get to know someone, after meeting them for the first time? Your heart starts to race, and you get nervous at the thought of going up and talking to them, but you know that you must, you must or you will miss this one chance in your entire life.

"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen is a song that reminds me of warm
summer nights, and the excitement and nervousness involved in taking a
first step toward someone you'd like to know more.

Sometimes our first impressions can also be wrong, but it's interesting how much information we implicitly gather during a first meeting and first conversation, about how we fit and connect with someone else. It's not just about the pure looks, the contents of the conversation.. but expressions, gestures and body motions, facial cues, vocal tones, and more.

And then after all of that, our mind and body decides for some reason - go for that one.

Now, I leave you with some photos of rainy Tokyo on a Saturday!

Chigiri pan made from rice flour. This bread is sooo good!!

Pigeon sitting in the rain. It actually looked quite comfy. Maybe it was enjoying the shower!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

I. I exit the subway and rise into a quiet, sleepy part of town. Even though the skies had earlier threatened rain, the afternoon sun is beaming gently. It's 3 pm.
We pass small cafes and a tiny local gallery that we wander through, observing the black and white photography adorning its walls. At another corner, we find a worker outside McDonald's offering free ice coffee samples to passerby.

Off the main street, one path leads us to a very modern-looking shrine with a few inquisitive visitors.
Next, we discover a park rowdy with the laughter and shouts of many children playing. Nearby, we enter a quiet cafe with only about five tables, and interesting knick-knacks decorating the place. I order a slice of banana nut cake, and we relax in the gently simmering atmosphere.

Stumbling across a showcase of a tonbo-dama (Japanese glass bead) artist, I delight in the intricate and magical designs. The glass artwork capture the light perfectly and sparkle out as if calling to me.

As we continue down the main street, more activity and noise begins to emerge. The sleepiness melts into a shopping district, complete with family restaurants, fancy French places, and even a flashing arcade. Smells of food reach out to entice my stomach.

***

II. A bustling business district during the weekdays, Roppongi is alive with city lights, shoppers, and sightseers on the weekend. From the subway, we head up onto the streets and toward a looming building above - Roppongi Hills.

Still a dusky grey-blue upon our arrival at the observatory, the sky slowly darkens to inky black, and the city lights blink on across Tokyo.

***

III. Late afternoon. The weather is mild and summery as we walk.

Even places where we have walked and things we have seen hundreds of times before... they can look so different through another lens, another perspective, with another person by our side.

Akihabara is a fast-paced city of pop culture and electronics stores. Maids in costume invite sightseers to their cafes; restaurants and food stands are scattered along the crowded streets, between digital displays and manga/video shops.

Unable to resist the mouth-watering smell, we order two pieces of chicken from KFC for a snack. The first bite is heaven.

Whether it is a place I visit for the very first time, a place I've been a few times, or a place quite familiar to me, the many faces of Tokyo continue to spark and capture my curiosity. There is something about this city that I can't quite put my finger on.

Perhaps that is because it has so many different parts, views, and energies, some changing and flowing with time, and some remaining ever the same.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Tokyo is the land of cell phones. When you get on the train or subway, almost everyone you see is engrossed in their cell phones - writing emails, browsing, gaming, listening to music. You don't often see much need for the public payphone.

However, there are two instances of "payphone" that vividly stand out in my memory -

1) When I first came to Tokyo and didn't have a cell phone for about a week. I had to insert change into the public phones scattered around the city in order to contact my company and my friends. I did have a profound sense of relief after finally getting my cell phone, as though it were a life line to the world.

2) Right after the March 11, 2011 earthquake shook the city, I emerged from the subway to find long lines of people forming around payphone booths. They were waiting to call their loved ones, since their cell phones weren't working. I remember the sense of urgency and disorientation, and the feeling of just wanting to get home.

"I'm at a payphone, trying to call home

all of my change, I spent on you"

Covering the song "Payphone" by Maroon 5, I felt a certain sense of connection. This song talks about spending change, which I also interpret as emotional change - this person put their heart and soul into trying to get through to someone, to communicate and find understanding, to the point of nearly emptying all the "change" they had. It's not easy to start earning and saving up again in your heart, little by little.

"I know it's hard to remember

the people we used to be"

People always change in relationships, and the changes are caused by time, distance, growth, success, loss, choices... sometimes you start out as two parallel lines, almost touching, but then run outward and away toward separate directions. And sometimes, you start out far apart, then slowly and gradually flow together onto the same path.

"You say it's too late to make it

but is it too late to try?"

What does it take to bring two people together again? When one side has already seemingly given up, how can you tell if it's worth it to try again, and how much of yourself would you have to give to do so? It's always scary and takes courage to reach out unconditionally.

These are some of the meanings I found in this song. I hope it also makes you think about where you are in your relationships and levels of communication with your family, friends, and loved ones.

In order to open up the gates of communication again, sometimes it only takes one email, one chat message... one call.